by kelly shaw nyala
1.
~ ~ ~ ~ Oya behind the clouds in visions, p.m. --
-- trees down in the hood.
been sleeping on the floor 81 days,
skin peeled like snakes--
2nd degree, didn’t call Dad.
(everybody’s moving ash or bricks--
Oshun trying hard, honey-kiss.)
she say, “turn up the volume on the vixen meter--
(do it 4 yourself.)”
* (n be protected in the street$.) *
2.
… i suggested, “feed me cherries ~ come correct ~
don’t talk to me wit a stop
sign.”
~~~ you are right next to me but not, cuz i’m in the rainforest again--
and you been disjointed wit reason,
hard 4 me to wrap my head around, tho we just 2 hours apart ~~~
(( mirror/mirror makes me tired, so much fire a veces. ))
3.
far away ~ near ~ walls down en momentitos thru thee fog--
{it’s all sparkle-green, like kelly shaw nyala in a gem-hike.}
say my name, a mami now-- i wanted 4, but 3 is a facet
today.
(eventually we come to 11 wherein a house is lavender-made by
her--
Or Nah
her--
statement piece 4 the peace of mind we knew in
an original field
pre-word$,
flowers-to-mouth,
lil paws & petals in the mix--
a gaze as “we’ve spoken.”
a street as safe b4 it was.
About kelly shaw nyala
kelly shaw nyala (née Willman) is an (experimental/outsider) performance artist. as a performance artist, she blends sound, installation, & ritual; she gravitates towards sites in nature. her largest project to date, new/mind/ritualz, launched in the spring of 2014; it is a 56-movement performance art offering released one movement at a time. new/mind/ritualz ultimately explores memories, demonstrates moments of personal growth in the present, & invokes rituals of healing + action for the collective future. with deep listening and humbled permission as the foundation, the artist navigates ongoing intimate conversations with womxn creatives, medicine women, womxn elders, social justice voices, & trauma survivors, resulting in art material that threads itself throughout new/mind/ritualz. kelly also praises The Black Woman as Gawd– an honoring that appears in her every work. she expresses rich relationships to Oshun, Yemaya, and Oya. in addition to a daily art practice, an Afrikan-rich spiritual practice inspires her deeply. the artist is loyal to issues concerning the systemic oppression of all marginalized peoples. her blossoming expertise, however, is in reppin those born with a milli extra pores (artist-healers) who are more likely as a result of trauma, lack of access to compassionate mental health treatment & familial/social support, to fall thru the cracks of American society. kelly identifies as an empath + highly sensitive person + introvert, a feminist, bruja, reinita, bad bitch, homebody, poet, writer, beadworker, a practiced shadow worker, mental wellness advocate, generational trauma pattern breaker, an anti-rape activist, independent researcher, & experientially engaged voice on recovery with Complex PTSD. kelly was raised among the cornfields of Eastern Iowa, & has lived in Brooklyn, Costa Rica, & Thailand.
Learn more at kellyshawwillman.blogspot.com
Follow her on Instagram @kelly.shaw.nyala
